Summary
One ofNicolas Cage’s cult classic movies - one that has a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes - is getting a legacy sequel, but it can only work if it does one thing right. Nicolas Cage has made almost 100 movies in his career, andthe ranking of Cage’s moviesgoes from good to bad to “so bad they’re good.” There have also been multiplemoments in Cage’s films that were unintentionally hilarious. All that has led to the actor having a few movies become cult classics, likeCon-AirandWicker Man. One of those cult classics is getting a sequel almost 30 years after it was first released.
InFace/Off, Cage played Castor Troy, a terrorist and arch nemesis of John Travolta’s Sean Archer. Curiously, Cage also played Archer for the majority of the movie, asFace/Offsees the two switch faces and identities. Despite the unusual premise,Face/Offbecame a cult classic that achieved an impressiveRotten Tomatoesscore of 93%. One factor was more important than any other inFace/Off’s critical success, and the sequel absolutely needs to maintain it to be any good.
15 Best Nicolas Cage Movie Quotes
Nicolas Cage has had a wildly diverse career playing truly iconic characters with a singular delivery style. These are some of his best movie quotes.
Face/Off 2 Can Only Work If It Does Not Take Itself Too Seriously
Face/Off 2has been confirmed, meaning one of Nicolas Cage’s wackiest and most beloved films will get a chance to shine once again. The sequel has spent years in development, and it’s too early to tell if it will be good or not, but one thing’s for sure:Face/Off 2won’t succeed at all if it can’t have fun with its absurd premise like the original did. There isn’t another movie quite like the originalFace/Off, and the sequel needs to remember that its absurdity is exactly what makes it worth watching.
Face/Off 2does not currently have a completed script. Director Adam Wingard said he would reevaluate a script after the completion of his latest film,Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Face/Off 2needs to lean into its absurdity, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be a straight parody or meta reference. Quite the opposite, in fact:Face/Off 2needs to play its weird story as straight as the original did. The originalFace/Offknew it was strange and out there, but even with its weird plot and unusual acting choices from Travolta and Cage, it became a nearly timeless hit. Nothing illustrates how important it is to blend absurdity with earnestness better thanFace/Off’s stars themselves.
Nicolas Cage & John Travolta Were Going For It In The Original Face/Off
The reason the originalFace/Offbecame a cult classic instead of a forgettable flop is because John Travolta and Nicolas Cage fully leaned into the movie despite its absurdity. The originalFace/Offhad a truly convoluted plot, and one that could have easily been written off as overly complex and far-fetched. Despite that, however, Cage and Travolta gave it their all. It’s almost like they both usedFace/Off’s absurd premise as an excuse to fully cut loose and do every odd thing they’ve ever wanted to do as actors. They both brought an unmatched level of energy toFace/Off, and the sequel needs to replicate that.
It’s almost like Cage and Travolta both used Face/Off’s absurd premise as an excuse to fully cut loose and do every odd thing they’ve ever wanted to do as actors.
The trouble with trying to replicate the energy Cage and Travolta had inFace/Offis that they approached their roles with such a great blend of absurd, over-the-top antics and earnest portrayals of their characters.For all of Cage and Travolta’s strange choices inFace/Off, they both treated Archer and Troy as characters who had deep backstories and motivations. They also worked incredibly well together, with each actor having a deep understanding of how to emulate the other. It will be quite difficult to find two lead actors who can match the spark Cage and Travolta had.
Adam Wingard’s Mosterverse Movies Prove He’s The Perfect Fit For Face/Off 2
While finding actors who can balance the absurdity and earnestness of the originalFace/Offwill be quite difficult, the sequel has already found a director capable of striking that balance.Adam Wingard is set to directFace/Off 2, and his previous films, particularly the Monsterverse movies he’s created, are a great sign of what he can do for the legacy sequel. Wingard directed bothGodzilla vs. KongandGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire, two movies with premises almost as absurd asFace/Offthat leaned into that absurdity with just as much earnestness.
91%
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Wingard’s Monsterverse movies were never concerned with being serious or having a realistic plot. He understood what kind of movie he was making, and he delivered on the promise of showing an epic battle between a giant lizard and a giant monkey. Wingard’s Monsterverse movies never got bogged down trying to escape its absurdity; instead, they used it to become even better. That kind of direction is exactly whatFace/Off 2needs to recreateNicolas Cage’s cult classic.
Face/Off
Cast
Face/Off is a 1997 action thriller directed by John Woo, featuring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage in lead roles. The film follows an FBI agent who undergoes a facial transplant to assume the identity of a criminal mastermind, a plan that unravels when the criminal awakens and targets his life.
